Dr. Igor Papič is a senior professor at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, University of Ljubljana. He is the principal investigator of numerous national and international research and development projects. From 2006 to 2017, he was the Chairman of the Programme Council of the Technology Platform for Smart Grids. He was one of the initiators of the establishment and the first President of the Rectors’ Forum of the Universities of South Eastern Europe and the Western Balkans, and in 2020 he was the first President of EUTOPIA, the European University Alliance.

Over 20 years’ experience in the solar and energy storage.
With a track record of success building sales and marketing teams and identifying, developing, and realizing new business opportunities.
Former EVP of Global Sales and Service at SMA, a leading Germany-based solar inverter supplier. Served as CSO of Ideematec Trackers, a leading Germany-based solar tracker supplier.
Served as Managing Director of a leading China-based solar module manufacturer Trina Solar Australia and New Zealand.

Dr. Uros Kerin received his PhD from the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia, in 2010. From 2004 to 2011 he was a research assistant at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Ljubljana. In 2007, he was a guest researcher at the Austrian institute of technology in the Department of energy in Vienna, Austria. From 2011 to 2017 he was with SIEMENS PTI in Erlangen, Germany. He held a position as a senior key expert and was responsible for consulting services in power system planning and operations. He was involved in numerous commercial projects for the electric power utilities and oil and gas industry. From 2017 to September 2025, he was assistant director of the Asset and project management division and head of Diagnostics and analytics center at ELES. Since September 2025 he is the General Manager of the Elektroinštitut Milan Vidmar.

Dr. Anamarija Borštnik Bračić, MBA, Founder and Director of the Energy Division at GP Systems, holds a PhD in Physics and an MSc in Management and Organisation. Early in her career, she taught physics at the University of Ljubljana, most recently as an assistant professor of physics at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering. At GP Systems, she focuses her activities on the development, production and commissioning of cogeneration plants for electricity and heat from green and sustainable fuels such as wood residues, waste wood, sludge and hazardous waste. GP Systems builds plants in Slovenia as well as in other EU and Balkan countries.

Miha Pečovnik has been working in the energy sector for two decades, where he has led and participated in the most demanding investment projects. He began his career at the Šoštanj Thermal Power Plant, then held management positions in HSE Group companies – as Director of HSE Invest and Executive Director for Development and Investments at HSE. He also gained experience at RUDIS, where he led projects in the field of renewable energy sources. Today, as executive director for investments at HSE, he directs key strategic projects that support Slovenia’s green energy transition.

Mag. Andrej Vrbinc is the Head of the National Control Centre at ELES, d.o.o., with extensive experience in real-time transmission system operation. He is active in several international working groups under the umbrella of ENTSO-E and serves as a representative in the international CIGRE Study Committee. Recently, his work has focused on the implementation of European regulations related to the establishment of coordinated security calculations at the regional level.

Aleš Prešern graduated from the Technical University of Ljubljana. He began his professional career in the process industry (automation and research) and later continued in the automotive industry.

In 2003, he joined Siemens, initially as a sales engineer for thermal power plants, and later held various leadership positions, including heading the power plant service division for the Central and Eastern European region.

Since May 2019, he has been the Managing Director of Siemens Energy in Austria and in the Adriatic region (Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro).

Mitja Andrejc, who holds a degree in electrical engineering, is a sales engineer at Kolektor Sisteh d.o.o. in the field of energy. He focuses on advanced solutions for the integration of diesel generators and battery energy storage systems (BESS) into electrical power systems.

With his knowledge and experience, he actively participates in projects involving the design, technical consulting, and implementation of these systems. His work is based on knowledge of market requirements and the application of good engineering practice, ensuring the reliability, efficiency, and sustainability of modern energy solutions.

Lev Prislan is the Business Intelligence and Development Director at GEN-I. He led the transformation of a small Analytics team into a large Business Intelligence unit. He is responsible for migration to the Cloud and the development of many new products and services at GEN-I. Lately, he was a member of the initiative that built the internal Chatbot.

Gregor Novak has nearly two decades of experience in leading positions in the Slovenian energy sector. Before founding the SONCE Group, he worked for two of the most important national electricity companies in Slovenia. As head of IT, he participated in the establishment of the company BORZEN. Later, he took on the role of director of the ICT Sector at ELES. More than ten years ago, together with his partners, he founded the SONCE Group, which invests in renewable energy sources and the construction of solar power plants. In 2018, as director, he established the first P2P energy marketplace on blockchain, SunContract, with an international team.

He is a Director of Plinovodi and was from 2010 to 2023 President of the Energy Chamber of Slovenia. He graduated from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and subsequently joined the engineering company Rudis, where he worked in senior positions and on energy projects at home and abroad. In January 2000, he took up the position of Director of the Technical Sector at Geoplin. In 2003, he became Deputy Chief Executive Officer and member of the Management Board, and then in 2005 he became Director of Geoplin Gas Pipelines, which was later renamed Plinovodi.

Prof. Robert Dominko is a Research Professor at the National Institute of Chemistry and a Professor at the University of Ljubljana. At the National Institute of Chemistry, he leads the Battery Research Group and the Center for Carbon-Free Technologies, a new infrastructure unit of the Institute located in Zasavje. His research focuses on materials science and electrochemical energy storage systems, with a particular emphasis on advanced battery technologies. His current research interests include multivalent battery systems, the integration of smart functionalities into battery cells, and battery cell engineering. Prof. Dominko is actively involved in European battery initiatives and is a key contributor to the Battery 2030+ initiative. His bibliography comprises more than 230 publications and 15 patents. He is also a member of the Slovenian Academy of Engineering.

I am Dr. Sreten Davidov, a research associate at the Milan Vidmar Electric Power Research Institute, specializing in electromobility, distribution systems, and distribution network control systems. My research focuses on the integration and operation of battery storage systems, as well as the development of advanced algorithms for power flow and state estimation. I have published over 40 scientific papers and led projects in the field of smart solutions and analytics in electricity distribution.

Peter Ott is Director of Digital Solutions for District Energy at Danfoss. With over 20 years of experience in energy efficiency, smart metering, and IoT connectivity, he has held leading roles at DIEHL Metering and Vitec Power, driving business development and key projects. He holds two distinguished master’s degrees — in business and in energy engineering — both earned with honours.

The CEO of ELES, d. o. o., has acquired a wide and varied range of skills and work experience through senior positions in several large Slovenian companies. He is a co-founder of Gen-I. He was the President of the Association of Economists of the Electricity and Coal Industry of Slovenia, a member of the WEC Bureau for South-Eastern Europe and Vice-Chairman of the Commission for the Valuation of the Assets of the Slovenian Electricity Industry. He has been a member of several supervisory boards of major Slovenian companies, including the chairman of the Supervisory Boards of Geoplin and Geoplin Gas Pipelines, Plinovodi and the vice-chairman of the Supervisory Board of SOD, d.d. Currently, he holds the positions of the chairman of the Human Resources Committee of KAD, vice-chairman of the Accreditation Committee of KAD, member of the Audit Committee of KAD, d.d., member of the Supervisory Board of Slovenian Railways, d.d.o. and chairman of the Audit Committee of SŽ, d.d.o.. He is a certificate holder of the Association of Supervisors of Slovenia.

Žiga Pižorn is the Director of Energy Sales and Solutions at Petrol Group. In 2014, he obtained a master’s degree in sustainable energy engineering from the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden. At Petrol, he initially worked as an engineer and head of sales project development, where he was responsible for the development of energy renovations and management, as well as solar power plants. He later took over the management of energy sales and solutions in the B2B and B2G customer segment for the entire SE region.

Tadej Justin, Lead Data Scientist at Medius d.o.o., a Slovenian software development company, holds a PhD in Electrical Engineering from the University of Ljubljana, with a research focus on automation, artificial intelligent systems and pattern recognition. He is a certified Kubernetes administrator and an enthusiast of the DevOps movement, especially in the area of continuous integration and continuous delivery. He uses this knowledge to provide validation and inference of predictive models and other software solutions geared towards the use of artificial intelligence.

Lenart Ribnikar, Master of Electrical Engineering, is a professional in the field of energy and digitalization, inspired by complex challenges and the pursuit of innovative solutions. He is currently working at Elektro Gorenjska as a data analyst and project manager, where he leads European projects, develops asset management methods, and contributes to the digital modernization of the distribution network. Previously, he gained experience at Iskra Emeco, where he was involved in embedded system testing and the development of automated solutions. His professional expertise includes data analytics, project management, network simulations, and the development of digital tools, where he demonstrates reliability, teamwork, and creativity. Beyond his professional work, Lenart expresses his exploratory spirit through climbing, mountaineering, and photography, constantly seeking new challenges and perspectives.

Matej Lorenci is the project manager for Li-ion batteries at TAB d.d., where he leads the development of electronics for advanced energy storage systems and related solutions. He has received several GZS awards for innovation, including a silver award at the national level for the e.storage L5.1 system and a regional gold award with the highest rating for the development of batteries for motorhomes and similar applications.

Nina Seifert holds a Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Ljubljana, specializing in robotics. She works as an engineer at Iskraemeco, where she plays a key role in the innovation of metering systems and production technologies. She is actively involved in the entire product lifecycle – from conceptual design, development, and testing to the optimization of production lines. She has significantly contributed to the development of metering systems and new products, as well as the optimization of production processes and the successful implementation of security protocols. She is a Six Sigma Green Belt certificate holder and was nominated for the title Engineer of the Year in 2023.

Adi Handžar holds a Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Electrical Engineering. He works as an engineer at Iskraemeco, where he develops and tests metering systems and manages projects. His expertise includes programming (Python, C), PCB design, and the use of simulation tools. He is actively involved in technical events and competitions and is a Six Sigma Green Belt certificate holder.

Business development and engineering expert with a focus on the Internet of Things (IoT) and machine-to-machine (M2M) technologies. Passionate about understanding and innovating complex systems, from technological devices and IT infrastructure to human biology. Experienced in building teams to create M2M interfaces and deliver cutting-edge solutions. Founder of several technology companies that drive innovation in IT consulting, cybersecurity, and automation.

Niko Šumnik holds a degree in mechanical engineering. He gained his first experience between 2001 and 2008 as an assistant in the design of mechanical installations, and then joined Kronoterm in 2008. As a sales and product engineer, he participates in the development of commercial and industrial solutions with heat pumps, combining technical knowledge with an understanding of customer needs. His competencies include the design and dimensioning of heat pump systems, the preparation of technical documentation, the integration of systems into energy solutions with BMS connectivity, the performance of energy analyses, and the optimization of efficiency in demanding industrial and larger building projects. Through his work, he makes an important contribution to the development of advanced and sustainable technologies that improve the energy efficiency and reliability of heating and cooling systems.

Veljko Milovančević is a mechanical engineer and PhD candidate at the University of Belgrade with a strong background in renewable energy. Since 2021, he has been working in the renewable sector, focusing on the development and deployment of advanced energy storage solutions.
In his current role as Application Engineer at WHES, Veljko designs innovative battery energy storage and grid integration solutions that maximize the efficiency and utilization of renewable energy assets under development. His expertise combines technical design, system optimization, and real-world project application, supporting the transition to a cleaner and more sustainable energy future.